Cable sheath splitter
The cable sheath splitter has an elongate body forming a lower portion handgrip and an upper portion tool structure. An end cap is rotatably attached to lower end of the handgrip. An elongate arcuate hand guard member extends from an edge of the end cap. A cutting blade is depth adjustable and extends laterally from the tool structure. A pair of rollers disposed in the tool structure outwardly extend from the structure on opposite sides of the blade. A pair of adjustable cable guide arms forms a claw that extends from the tool structure. The claw is rotatable and may also have at least two rotatably lockable positions. The claw when configured according to either of the rotatably lockable arm positions, guides the cable along a path that contacts the blade to cut the cable sheath.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/071,160, filed Apr. 15, 2008.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hand tools for electricians and electronics technicians, and particularly to a cable sheath splitter for splitting the outside sheath of an electrical cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many types of tools designed to cut the outside sheath of a cable. These tools typically comprise cable splitters, slitters, shears and sidecutters, which technicians attempt to use for cutting the outside sheath of a cable. A drawback of using shears, sidecutters, or other existing sheath splitting tools is that the technician must be extremely careful not to strip the wiring or optical fibers encapsulated by the cable sheath. There is a need for an adjustable tool that can be configured to cut the sheath while sparing the encapsulated wiring or fibers.
Thus, a cable sheath splitter solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe cable sheath splitter comprises an elongate body forming a lower portion handgrip and an upper portion tool structure. An end cap is rotatably attached to the lower end of the handgrip. An elongate arcuate hand guard member extends from an edge of the end cap. A cutting blade is depth adjustable and extends laterally from the tool structure. Two rollers disposed in the tool structure outwardly extend from the structure on opposite sides of the blade. A pair of cable guide arms forms a rotatable claw that extends from the tool structure. The claw may have at least two rotatably lockable positions.
The claw, when configured according to either of the rotatably lockable arm positions, guides the cable along a path that comes in contact with the blade to cut the cable sheath.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSReferring to
Blade 44 is mechanically connected by a lever, gear train, or the like to thumb button 42a so that movement of thumb button 42a adjusts the blade 44 to extend very slightly into the pathway of cable C, enough so that the blade 44 can strip cable C when the cable C is pulled through claw 15. U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,920, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, describes an exemplary blade control mechanism that may be adapted for use in the cable sheath splitter 10. Preferably, the axial cutting pathway of cable C positions the cable C so that the cable C is at an angle θ of between 45°-60° to the tool body 12. The tool body 12 may be cylindrical and may have a knurled handgrip portion. A hand guard, which has an arcuate elongate member 30b extending from the circumferential edge of end cap 30a, is rotatably attached to the lower end of the tool body 12. Cable rollers 40 are disposed on frustoconical upper portion 25 of tool body 12 on opposite sides of blade 44.
As shown in
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
Claims
1. A cable sheath splitter, comprising:
- an elongate body having a lower portion forming a handgrip and an upper portion defining a cable-splitting end of the elongate body, the upper portion including a frustoconical end portion defining an aperture;
- an end cap rotatably attached to the handgrip, the end cap including an elongate arcuate hand guard member extending from the end cap;
- an adjustable depth cutting blade extending laterally from the cable-splitting end of the elongate body;
- a pair of rollers disposed in the frustoconical end portion of the elongate body, the rollers extending outward on opposite sides of the blade;
- a pair of elongate, substantially arcuate cable guide members forming a claw, the claw extending from the aperture in the frustoconical portion, the claw being adjustable to a diameter size of a cable for guiding the cable into a path so that the sheath of the cable is cut by the blade without nicking wires encased in the cable sheath.
2. The cable sheath splitter according to claim 1, wherein the depth cutting blade is arcuate.
3. The cable sheath splitter according to claim 1, wherein the claw is rotatable about a longitudinal axis of the elongate body.
4. The cable sheath splitter according to claim 1, wherein the pair of rollers and the blade are disposed on the frustoconical portion of the cable-splitting end of the elongate body.
5. The cable sheath splitter according to claim 3, wherein said claw is rotatable into first and second locked positions, the locked positions being spaced apart by about 90°.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Apr 14, 2009
Date of Patent: Mar 29, 2011
Patent Publication Number: 20090255125
Inventor: Gregory L. Hager (Nebraska City, NE)
Primary Examiner: Hwei-Siu C Payer
Attorney: Richard C. Litman
Application Number: 12/385,617
International Classification: H02G 1/12 (20060101);